Five Tips for a Quiet Holiday

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams.

Although they are often labeled “quiet,” it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society – from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Susan Cain’s extraordinary bestselling book Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves.

We asked Susan to share some tips for a quiet holiday. Enjoy!

1. Make a date with yourself for a cozy evening by the fire, reading a novel and drinking peppermint cocoa.

2. Find an occasion for late-night reverential awe: Take a moonlight walk on a wintry evening. Attend midnight Mass. Stay up late and watch the snow fall.

3. Call your dearest friends and family to thank them for their presence in your lives.

4. Instead of a New Year’s resolution, try a New Year’s regeneration, by embracing a creative project. Write a story. Wallpaper your bedroom. Study Thai cooking.

5. And, speaking of New Year’s – it’s OK to stay home on New Year’s Eve!

SUSAN CAINis a writer whose work on introversion and shyness has appeared in the New York Times and on PsychologyToday.com. She has taught negotiation skills at corporations, law firms, and universities and practiced corporate law for seven years. An honors graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, Susan lives in the Hudson River Valley with her husband and two sons. Quiet is available wherever books are sold and will be available in paperback on January 29, 2013.

Yes, I am quite the introvert. I took the Myers-Briggs test and they were surprised at how much of an introvert I am. I would rather be a wallflower than to join in a crowd. I do ok with one or two others to chat with, but I would much rather curl up with a good book, blanket and hot chocolate. I would love to enjoy a quiet holiday, but I have two small children. They will be with their Dad for a few hours on Christmas, so I am hoping to spend that time decompressing from the chaos.

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I’d rather be around my large family (parents, husband, brother, wife, sisters, husbands, nieces, nephews). My husband is an introvert, but he has no choice.